Process of making explosive compounds



1 UNITED STATES V PATENT 'FFFICEO PROCESS OF MAKING EXPLOSIVE COMPOUNDS.

.JPECIEICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No 341,155, dated May 4, 188

Application filed November 30, 1885. Serial No. M45146. (No specimens.)

To all whom, it nmy concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON FLETCHER LINDSLEY, of North Bergen, (\Vest Hoboken P. O.,) in the county of Hudson and State of Newjersey, have invented a new and Improved Process for Making Explosive Compounds, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide explosive compounds that can be used in all kinds of fire-arms, that will not develop any abnormal pressure upon the walls of the arms, and that will not foul the arms or produce any corrosive efi'ect thereon.

The invention consists in first forming a mechanical mixture of wood fiber, charcoal, bituminous coal,and starch, grinding ihemixture into powder, forming the powder into grains, treating the grains with acids, neutralizing them, drying them, and treating them in asolution of carbonate of potash and saltpeter, as will be hereinafter full y described.

In applying my invention to practical use, I reduce wood fiber to a pulp by any of the well'known means that do not require chemicals in their application, and boil thepulp in a twenty per cent. (20%) solution of carbonate of soda, to remove all foreign and resinous substances, and then thoroughly wash it in pure cold water by the use of a filterpress, and then dry it by any suitable means,

The wood fiber, charcoal, bituminous coal, and starch are placed in an iron cylinder, or other suitable receptacle, to be reduced to a fine powder. The iron cylinder is mounted on trunuions, and is connected by suitable gearing with a conntershal't, by which it is driven at a out the ratehf tw nty revolutions per minute.

In making up the charge for the cylinder, I use the ingredients in about the following quantities and proportions, viz: wood fiber,

, seventyone pounds; ch areoalJourtecn pounds,

bituminous coal, five pounds starch, ten pounds.

Ido not limit myself to the exact proportions given, as the density of the powder can be increased by increasing the proportional quantity of the bituminous coal; or the quantity of bituminous coal can be lessened and its place supplied with glucose when a pow der of less density is required.

The iron cylinder is provided upon its inner surface with iron projections, and about eight hundred pounds of iron balls are put into it with the charge, so that the charge will be reduced to a fine powder by the action of the said balls and projections as'tlre said cylinder is revolved upon its axis, and at thesame time the several ingredients will'be thoroughly mixed. This operation should be continued for about ten hours.

To the fine powderv thus produced I add enough water to form a mixture, when thoroughly mixed, of about the consistency of dough. This mass is then formed into grains orgrannles' by means or the apparatus nerein after described, or ltyany othcrsuitablc means. A box, about five l'eet-longand two feet wide, is mounted on legs fitted-into iron V- shapcd grooves in which they slide; The box is covered by a steel-wire sieve having ten meshes to the inch. The bottom of the box is made at an inclination oi about twenty degrees (20,) and to the end of the box is securedan apron having an inclination of about twenty degrees, (2(l,) and forming a continuation of the box-bottom. The end of the box under the sieve and nextlhe apron is left open, and upon the sieve is placed a second box, fitted within the sieve-frame. To the opposite end of the box from the apron is secured the end of a connecting-rod, the other end of which is pivoted to a crank on the counter-shaft, by

which it is driven, so that the apparatus will receive a reciprocating movement from the shaft, which should make about one hundred and twenty revolutions per minute. About ten pounds of thedough-like mixtureis putinto the sieve at a time, and also a number of iron balls, so that the mixture will be forced by the action of the balls through tlie'sieve 'in small particles, which fall upon the inclined bottom of the box, roll off upon the inclined apron, and fall thence into a receptacle placed beneath the said apron to receive them. The grains thus formed are thoroughly dried, and are then ready for the acid bath, which is formed of LWO hundred pounds of nitric acid of fifty degrees (50) Baum, and four hundred IOC pounds of sulphuric-acid of sixty-six and ahalf degrees (66?) Baum for each one hundred pounds of the grains, and into which the grains are slowly mixed, and where they are 5 allowed to steep a sufiicient length of time to permit a chemical change of all the ingredients except the charcoal, which generally requires about four hours. The grains are then washed in clean water till as much as possible of the v ,19 free acid 'is removed, and are then subjected to a number of hot-water and alkaline baths, to more thoroughly remove'the free acid.

When the free acid is completely removed I or neutralized, the grains are taken to a drying-room, where they are kept at a temperature of about one hundred and twenty degrees (120) Fahrenheit, until thproughly dried. ,The dried grains are then treated in a solution of carbonate ofpotash and salt-peter, or chlorate of potash, or both, and are again dried, and are then ready .for use. v

The wood fiber is-generally prepared in the form of pulp from some light. fibrous wood, preferably poplar, by any of the well-known processes for this purpose. The process used for making paper-stock will generally. answer the purpose, but-care must be taken that no chemicals be used inits preparation; l=

The charcoal is prepared from somelight fibrous wood, preferably willow, in an iron retort, care being taken not to allow thetemk perature to rise above eight hundred degrees (800) Fahrenheit. I The bituminous coal .gused is the kind generally employed for making steam, care'being taken to have it free .l'ro'm slate, and other foreign substances. i The starch preferably used is prepared from corn. .I

The glucose,--"=. when used, should preferably be prepared fromcorn. By this process an explosive compound is prepared, in which *the main explosive'ageut; is nitrocellulose, but which is perfectly safe to use in fire-arms. This'is, accomplished by having each atom of the-nitrocellulose sur 'sion.

pounds herein described, which consists in rounded by or in contact with an atom ot'carbou, which retards or checks the gases of the nitro-cellulose, and at; the same time helps to keep up thetemperature of the explosion or combustion. a

The bituminous coal is used to add to the density of the powder, and at the same time to furnish available gases to add tothe ballistic or driving force of the explosion. The '55 glucose, when used, is for the same purpose. The starch, being a glutinous substance, binds the particles together and makes the grainsharder and more dense and not so liable to crumble to dust, and which when the grains are treated with the acids forms a nitro compound which adds to the force of the explo- The carbonate of potash is used for the purpose of keeping the compound neutral, and

therebypreventing decomposition. The saltpeter is used to furnish oxygen for thecomplete combustion of the nitro-cellulose and at the same time to form with the carbon a second explosive body.

The powder prepared by this process is perfectly safe to useiu fire-arms of all kinds, and will not develop any abnormal pressure on the'walls of the fire-arms in which it is used, and will not foul the arms or produce any corrosive action thereon.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire tosecureby LettersPatent The process for making explosive comforming a mechanical mixture of wood fiber, charcoal, bituminous. coal, and starch, then forming the mixture into a fine powder, then formingthe fine powder into grains, then treating the grains withaeids, then removing the free acid, and then treating the grains in a solution of carbonate of potash and saltpeter,

substantially as set forth.

1 MILTON F. LINDSLEY. \Vitnesses: I 7

JAMES T. GRAHAM, .0. SEDGWICK. 

